Democrat senator endorses Republican at Trump's party convention

Democrat John Fetterman makes surprise video cameo at Trump's Republican National ConventionPosted Thu 10 Sep 2026 at 10:34amThu 10 Sep 2026 at 10:34am, updated Thu 10 Sep 2026 at 10:55amThu 10 Sep 2026 at 10:55amJohn Fetterman described himself as a "common-sense Democrat" in a video message at the Republican convention. (Reuters: Brian Snyder)US Democrat senator John Fetterman has made a surprise video appearance at the Republicans' "Trump-a-palooza" convention in Texas, endorsing a Republican and distancing himself from his party's progressive wing.The first day of the Republican Party's midterm elections convention has featured a series of hype speeches portraying Democrats as "crazy", "communist" and "dangerous".Mr Fetterman, who has increasingly been seen by his party colleagues as a rogue unit in recent years, joined the pile-on in his surprise video message.He called himself a "common-sense Democrat" who would always "reject the extremes and socialism".The event is being held in Texas, a critical state for the upcoming midterm elections. (Reuters: Callaghan O'Hare)His video was used to introduce fellow Pennsylvania senator Dave McCormick to the stage, who Mr Fetterman described as a friend.It further highlighted the divide between traditional "establishment" or "moderate" Democrats and the ascendant left wing of the party, including New York mayor Zohran Mamdani, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and prominent Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.Donald Trump was originally scheduled to speak on the final night of the convention, but later announced he would speak on both nights. (Reuters: Evan Vucci)Republicans have been using the Dallas convention to capitalise on the divide, highlighting and frequently exaggerating the policies and positions of Democratic Socialists and the party in general.Key themes in speeches and videos have included transgender participation in sport, crime attributed to unauthorised migrants, and the previous Biden administration's failure to control crossings at the US-Mexico border.But there has been relatively little mention of Mr Trump's centrepiece actions on tariffs, the economy and the Middle East. Polls show Mr Trump's approval rating is hovering at historic lows, with many voters angered over cost-of-living hikes and the war in Iran.Mr Trump is set to speak on both nights of the two-day event.Party conventions are usually only held in presidential election years, but this one has been staged to rally the Republican base and party donors ahead of the November midterm elections for the US Congress.Republicans have slim majorities in both chambers of Congress, but polls suggest Democrats could take control of both. To do so, the Democrats would need a net gain of three seats in the House of Representatives and four seats in the Senate.